Wednesday, November 1st from the base ofUS Space Force A test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile was carried out in Vandenberg (California). Lgm-30 “Minuteman III”. The launch was interrupted at 00:06 Pacific Time (08:06 in Italy) due to “an anomaly,” as reported in the official Air Force Global Strike Command (Afgsc) press release.
Therefore, the carrier was given the command to self-destruct when above sea water. The US command also reports that “an anomaly is any unexpected event during testing.” Since anomalies can be caused by many factors related to the operating platform itself or to the test equipment, careful analysis is required to determine the cause determine.”
The images we received from open sources actually show an unusual change in the ballistic missile’s trajectory, the causes of which remain to be determined: it could be related to the guidance system or an anomaly in thrust management.
The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile was not equipped with a warhead, as is the case with all launches of these carriers by all nuclear powers, and the test is one of many being conducted to maintain the operational readiness of strategic missile forces or to conduct new experiments technological solutions. The United States regularly conducts test launches of unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles to demonstrate the reliability of these missiles, which form a branch of the American nuclear triad alongside bombers and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) for other testing and evaluation purposes.
Operational test launch of a Minuteman III ICBM from SFB Vandenberg this evening around 12:01 p.m. pic.twitter.com/rydNeglS42
— Jonathan Murphy (@Murf411_) November 1, 2023
The US Air Force currently has approx 400 Minuteman III missiles, each loaded with a single nuclear warhead, loaded into silos spread across five states. Aside from the trajectory anomaly already highlighted, there is still no clear evidence as to what might have caused the failure of this ICBM test.
Afgsc also reports that an analysis group is being formed to investigate the cause of the malfunction, consisting of representatives from the Air Force Global Strike Command, the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, the 576th Flight Test Squadron, the Space Launch Delta 30 Safety Office and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and other organizations.
The missile has a maximum range of 13,000 kilometers and is capable of carrying a payload of three reentry vehicles, but is expected to be equipped with a single Mark 21 reentry vehicle of 300 to 475 kT (kilotons). Its original inertial navigation system allowed an accuracy of about 200 meters (defined as Cep – Circular Error Probable), but an upgrade gave it a Cep of 120 meters. The rocket is 18.2 meters long, has a diameter of 1.85 meters and a launch weight of 34,467 kilograms.
The “Minuteman III” is replaced by theLgm-35A “Sentinel” – from 2029 according to the plans of the US Air Force – which will carry the W87 Mod 1 (W87-1) thermonuclear warhead; The guidance system is astro-inertially coupled to the Global Positioning System (GPS), while the propulsion system is based on a three-stage solid rocket. The LGM-35A will be not just a new rocket, but a novel launch, flight and infrastructure system, fully integrated with modern command and control capabilities.